How to Renovate a House on a Budget - Without Using Credit!

Since renovations have really been in the forefront of our minds lately (and realistically, running our lives), I figured I should write a post about how to create a nice home on a thrifty budget - without borrowing!  Here's how we've been able to pull it off:

1.  Start Saving Early! - 

About a year ago, Colin and I knew that there was a possibility we would be buying a home at our next duty station.  We also knew that houses come with increase costs.  Therefore, as silly as it sounds, we started putting $25 of each pay check into our savings account.  Sure, it's only $50 a month, but after a year, it magically turns into $600 that you didn't even miss from your checking account!  This is even easier if your online banking allows you to set up a direct withdrawal like ours did.  We didn't even notice the $25 being shifted after a while! 

In addition to this, we also started putting any checks we received into our savings.  This includes holiday money (yay for still getting money from your grandma on your birthday!), refund checks from rebates, closing accounts (like cable/electric), etc. etc.  Now, I understand that sometimes these checks are worth a lot, or you need a deposit from one thing to pay for the next.  Those checks can definitely be exceptions.

2.  Comparison Shopping - 

I am a huge believer in comparison shopping.  Now, I will admit that it takes a serious amount of extra time, but in the end I promise it pays off!  Every time we had something we knew we were going to need, I would look around online to see what the going rate was, and how I could beat it.  A lot of times a company you may never have heard of has a great deal on some wholesale product.  That's how we found our flooring!  I was determined to find someone who would sell us high quality flooring for under $2/ sq ft, and in the end I found it!

Something important to remember is that people have a lot of negative feelings about big box stores (Lowe's, Home Depot, etc.), and rightfully so.  BUT if you cash in on sales and study the store policies, you can get some great deals there too!  For instance, Home Depot has a really great program where if you find an add where someone else sells something for cheaper, they'll match that price and then beat it by 10%.  I'm pretty sure they bank on no one taking the time to read newspaper circulars, so prove them wrong!


3.  Waiting for Sales - 

When you move into a new house and the inspector hands you a list a mile long of things that "should" be fixed, it can be seriously overwhelming.  I know I personally had a miniature heart attack during the inspection, and definitely started to get the "in over my head" feeling.  However, once I broke the list down and put it into categories, and realized that not everything was going to get done right away, it wasn't nearly as scary.

The first thing I did was write down exactly how much each thing would cost at two different places.  Then, I mercilessly scanned the weekly newspaper circulars in our FREE Friday newspaper for what was on sale that coming week.  So yes, our dryer went without a vent hood for an extra week, but we saved money in the long run.

Holiday weekends are especially great for this.  However, if it's something that has a rebate, make sure you don't forget to send it in.  We bought all of our paint for the whole house over 4th of July weekend because Home Depot was running a special where for each 5 gallon you bought, they gave you $20 back, and for each 1 gallon you bought, they gave you $5.  So we bought what we needed for every room (even though we haven't even painted them all yet!), and went home to put in the rebate!  Then, Home Depot sent us visa cards in the mail for $75 that we can now use anywhere! So yes, we may have bought more than we needed right then, but it saved us almost $100 in the end!

Now, I just have to note here that this can also go the other way.  Something that drives Colin nuts is when a sale is going on, I feel like I should cash in on it because I know we'll be paying more for it later - even if we don't have the storage for whatever it is, or the money in the budget.  Sometimes it's definitely worth it to go for it, but if it overextends the budget, remember that sales usually do come back around.  For instance, the 4th of July paint sale that I mentioned earlier came back for Labor Day.

4.  Prioritizing -

Colin is a huge believer in this one.  Prioritizing can be difficult, especially when you feel like everything needs to be done and it all feels important.  We took one day after we actually moved into the house to sit down and look at what needed to be done, then we made a list of things that needed to be done due to safety concerns, and those immediately moved to the head of the line.  After that, we made a list that was dependent on when things typically go on sale.  For instance, getting chimney's swept is cheaper in the summer because people aren't thinking about lighting fires, so have someone come out in July, and yard stuff is nearly always on clearance at the end of the summer/early fall, so work on the yard projects then.  We also planned all of our big projects around holiday weekends.  That way we could buy the supplies on sale.  Once we were done we had a whole years worth of projects prioritized by season and necessity. 


5. Do the Work Yourself (or with friends!) -

 We have been so fortunate to have lots of great people come and help us with the dirty work of renovating a house (pulling up carpet, breaking up tile, chopping down trees).  Not only is it a great way to spend time with friends and family, but it's also much cheaper than hiring someone!  When we started this reno we were beyond beginners when it came to any household projects, but thanks to youtube and some parental direction we figured it out!  We have spent hours on end watching youtube about anything you can imagine (installing moulding, tiling entryways, installing new light fixtures where there wasn't one before) and it really has paid off.  Lowes.com also has great DIY videos with supply lists that I would recommend. 

The biggest obstacle that comes with doing the work yourself is buying the tools.  Now, borrowing is also an option, and one that we use frequently, but some tools are worth the investment.  We searched craigslist, garage sales, and pawn shops, but had a hard time finding inexpensive, used alternatives.  I'm pretty sure this is just a product of living in such a small area, but the end result was lots of tools that we had to buy new.  I had a hard time with this at first, but really once you buy a tool, chances are you keep it for life, so next time you work on a project the labor will truly be free!

6.  Get to Know Your Local Hardware Store - 

This one is so important!  I would recommend taking a trip to your local hardware store and just look around at everything.  Ask where they keep clearance items, and what their policy is on special orders.  For instance, our Home Depot (we don't have much else up here) has a clearance section for random items at the end of the isle by the light fixtures, but they also put all of the big clearance items (tools, cabinets, bathroom vanities), in the front of the store next to the contractor counter.  Knowing where these items are and checking them every time you visit can really help your budget.  We bought nearly all of our indoor and outdoor light fixtures from the clearance section and saved a bundle!

One important tip I learned from a Home Depot associate was that they tend to stock middle of the road products, and special ordering isn't always more expensive.  Therefore, if you have a price point in mind, ask someone about what they can do to help you meet it, instead of settling for something that costs more, or something that you don't really like.  When we were trying to find inexpensive door moulding, I asked someone about their special orders, and ended up finding something that I loved for only .51/ linear foot, when everything in the store that wasn't just a plain white line was over $1.  They set up the order, shipped it to the store for free in 1 week, and we got moulding for the entire house for less than $150. 





Now, obviously every case is going to be different, but these tips have worked for us (so far!) and we've learned an invaluable lesson about not buying what you can't afford, and the importance of saving for those good deals!  Not everything in your house has to be expensive, just look like it is :)  If you have any questions about our renovations, or would like referrals about products used, feel free to email me directly or leave it in the comments!

Day Seven: Coeur d'Alene, ID

Since Colin was born and raised in Idaho, it seemed fitting that he would write the post about today's journey to Idaho.  Good luck.

Finally!  The pinnacle to our adventure! (with the exception of getting to our house)  The whole reason for driving across the country! (again, with the exception of getting to our house) We finally made it.  We've come home.  Today, day seven, we arrived in Idaho.

God's country, the holy land, the most beautiful place in the world, true America, mecca: As a homegrown spud, I can confirm all of these things are true.  Idaho, is all of these things. 

Today's route took us through Coeur d'Alene, ID.  In the panhandle of a state graced by the rocky mountains, this small town is a vacation spot for people world wide.  Renowned for it's beautiful scenery, it's gorgeous, pure lake, it's outdoor activities, and my brethren Idahoans, how can you help but spend your precious summer vacations in this beautiful northern oasis.  No pictures could possibly do this land justice, but we've taken a few so that you could experience some of the awe inspiring scenery which we were blessed to view today.  Dim the lights, light some candles, and enjoy.  

(Oh yeah, and we found a dutch brothers.  Kristin was really excited.)

Ming Bob, overwhelmed by the excitement.

Tomorrow: Home.

Day Six: Bozeman, MT

Oh Montana, how I underestimated your size.  Today was a gruelingly long 9 hour day.  The first few hundred miles of plains lands were exciting.  I mean, look at that photo below.  It looks like something straight out of a book.  Or Pushing Daisies.  Now Imagine looking at that for roughly 550 miles.  The upside was trying to spot deer, coyotes, and antelope (there were tons), and of course, the elusive buffalo!  Now, Colin claims that there are no "real" buffalo in America.  I say, why does everything in Montana claim to be buffalo this, and buffalo that, if it's all really just bison?  I pretty much spent the entire day saying "buffalo!" and pointing at large animals in the distance, and Colin spent most of the day saying "cattle" "cow" and "that's actually a shrub."

This is literally what we saw nearly the entire time.  The moniker "big sky country" is 100% accurate.

Now, these next photos (so lovingly snapped by my wonderful husband) get a little graphic, so here's your warning.  Tonight at dinner, we tried our first bison buffalo burgers!  We were in Montana and it just felt right, so we sought them out!  Ultimately, it really just tasted like a super fancy beef burger.  However, it's supposed to be much better for you than beef, and I can see why.  There was little to no fat, and they were still tender and Delicious.  I would at least suggest trying it once if presented with the option. 






Tomorrow is day six, and Colin is absolutely beyond stoked about being in Idaho and exploring Coeur d'Alene.  I'm mostly just excited about the world's largest radio flyer wagon :)

Day Five: Hill City, SD

What an adventure we had on the road today!  Did you know that the stretch of I-90 between Sioux Falls and Rapid City is riddled full of strange attractions?  The theme of the day was definitely "we're too cheap to actually pay for this," but I did occasionally convince Colin that we should pull off the freeway to see something ridiculous.  Here were some of our favorites:

How creepy is this?  If you watched Hoarders this week, then you'll understand why our first reaction was, "this is a crazy lady mecca!"

My absolute favorite stop on the trip!  This is not only the largest, but also the only corn palace in the world!  For miles and miles we saw different billboards for this 8th wonder of the world, and the whole time we said, "it can't actually be built of corn!"  And guess what...it is!!!  They spend $130,000 each year to rebuild the exterior and change out the corn pictures.  I would highly recommend clicking on this picture to get the closer look.  This was the first stop on the "we're to cheap to actually pay for this" tour of South Dakota.


Attached to the Corn Palace was Mitchell, SD's city hall, of course.  While the palace is rebuilt at a ridiculous cost each year, the city hall appears to be made out of particle board.  If nothing else, these Dakotans sure do have their priorities in line. 


This is Cornelius, the Corn Palace mascot.  Not only does he have his own security detail (originally installed to protect president Obama on his visit in 2008), he has two faces, one on each side so that you can be taking picture, while another crazy family takes one on the other side. 

Aside from these awesome stops, we also made our way to the Petrified Forest and Wall Drugs, neither of which we actually went into/payed for.  Now for the more traditional tourist destinations:


After getting through plains and the badlands, we entered the Black Hills.  To say this area is surprisingly beautiful would be an understatement.  This is one of the tunnels carved out of a hill. 


The next stop along the "we're too cheap to actually pay for this" tour was Mt. Rushmore.  Sure, it's only $11, but when you can get such a good picture from the side of the road, why waste the cash and the time it takes to fight the crowds?  All in all, I'd say it was a little anticlimactic.  Did you know it was built by a Ku-Klux-Klan member? Yeah me either.


The Washington profile from another viewing area in the national forest.

This is my favorite picture from our Mt. Rushmore adventure...

And this is Colin's, because Washington is picture crashing right in between us :)

Colin in his natural element.

Even though you can't see it in this picture, all of those rocks around me were super sparkly.  Therefore, I deemed this my princess hill.

Our third stop on the WTCTAPFT tour was the crazy horse monument.  We actually had to drive into the park, tell them we weren't going to pay $20, and then drive in far enough while we were "turning around" to see the monument and get a picture.  This one was even more anticlimactic than Mt. Rushmore, but once if it's finished it's gonna be awesome.

Aside from the sites, this has without a doubt been our favorite destination so far, simply because of the hotel.  We've learned a great lesson at this Best Western Plus - there's a huge difference between a nice family hotel where people vacation, and a "staycation" hotel where people actually live.  Last night we stayed at a Super 8 in Sioux Falls that shared a parking lot with one of the sketchiest apartments we've ever seen.  Here, we are totally isolated in a nice little nook of the black hills, so the hotel is really more like a little mini resort, and worth every penny.  The saddest part is, it's only about $15 more than the Super 8 was. 

Besides all of the other awesome accommodations this hotel has (including a Seattle's Best coffee shop in the lobby!), it has a restaurant where Colin was able to get his first frosty mug beer in over 4 months.  That's a look of pure joy you see there.


The final thing that happened today will go down in history as the night Colin predicted the Apocalypse.  If you take a look up there at that happy beer picture, you'll see that it's bright and sunny out.  Now take a little peek at the photo below - they were taken about 10 minutes apart, and this wasn't even as dark as it got. Colin noticed that the clouds were moving in opposite directions (which is totally weird), and started talking about the end of the world.  Then, the rain, wind, and giant hail started.  This was all followed by severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings.  What an end to an exciting day!  Things have calmed down now, but we're in a watch zone until midnight.  Hopefully the worst has has already passed, but who knows. 


Tomorrow is our longest driving day at a whopping 8 hours (which between bathroom and gas station stops will probably be more like 9.5).  We'll be stopping in Bozeman, MT, but don't really have anything planned while we're there.  Hopefully we find something billboard worthy along the way! :)

Day Four: Sioux Falls, SD

Welcome to Sioux Falls, SD! Today was a pretty boring driving day, but we were able to get some pictures as we drove through Minnesota, land of the wind turbine fields! We tried multiple times to get pictures of these giant wind turbines that stretched for miles, but they were so far away we never could get one that fully grasped the magnitude:

You'll have to click on it to see the wind turbines, and it still wont be anything like seeing them in person.

My best attempt at a picture of the giant Mississippi River

We stopped at a BP where instead of a convenience store, they had an Amish store, complete with carriage parking.

What we saw 90% of the day.

It's tough catching "Welcome to.." Signs, but here's South Dakota's.

So far Sioux Falls isn't our favorite destination, but we're looking forward to Rapid City and Mt. Rushmore tomorrow!

Location:Sioux Falls, SD

Day Three: Madison, WI

All and all, today was a pretty exciting driving day as far as middle America goes.

Top five best things about day three -

1.  The cats seem pretty happy now that they've settled in to life on the road.  In fact, Julius spent over three hours just like this today:

2.  We actually drove through a big city that we've never seen before - Chicago!  The traffic was more than worth the change of pace from farm land to city.

 3.  We ended up waking up early to get a delicious breakfast (the first one in weeks that didn't come prepackaged) and got on the road an hour early!  This, coupled with a time change that worked in our favor, put us in Madison, WI super early.

Our best attempt at getting the 'Welcome to Wisconsin' sign in the rain.

4.  Not only did our hotel let us check in an hour early, but they also upgraded us to a king suit at no extra cost!  How awesome is that?  Since we haven't seen a couch in over a month, this was a huge deal for us :)

Our giant room.  Ming obv. feeling at home already.

I'm pretty sure this bathroom is bigger than our whole room was in CT.

5.  Thanks to getting in early, we got to drive around and explore Madison a little!  Not only did we see the capital building, but we also found a Qdoba for dinner!

It's the comfort food that counts after a long day on the road! (did i mention there's a no makeup[me]/no shaving[Colin] policy while on this road trip?)

 That's about it folks!  Stay tuned for tomorrows recap once we make it to Sioux Falls, SD!  Only four days left!

Day Two: Todelo, OH

Hello from Ohio!  Ok, so we've finally reached somewhere where I have decent enough internet to update you all on the craziness of the last couple days.  I think it's best to separate it into parts:

Part 1: Leaving Connecticut

For the last week or so the navy has been promising guessing that we would leave each day, and each day we packed up and got ready to go and then something stopped us from actually getting on the road (that "something" was usually navy medical).  Then, on a sunny Tuesday morning in June, I got the text that Colin had his medical records in hand and we were set to hit the road.  As soon as he got home we packed up, thanked the beyond wonderful staff at the Rodeway Inn, and booked it before they could change their minds. 

As far as the actual logistics of Colin's medical hold, he's going to continue waiting around, we just get to do it in the comfort of our own home.  Although nothing is official, word on the street is that his waiver has been denied, and he will be redesignating in the fall(ish).  A lot still needs to be figured out, but he will for sure be staying in the Navy.

Part 2: Frackville, PA

Now, to say we left in a hurry would be an understatement.  We were just so excited to be given the ok to get out of town, that everything else more or less fell to the wayside.  Now, if you know me, you know that I don't do so well when things aren't planned out.  I'd say this quadruples for things like cross country trips.  Never the less, we haphazardly mapped out a route and picked some affordable pet friendly hotels along the way, without really checking too many reviews on each one (I usually go a little user review crazy). 

What's nice to someone, may be a complete snake pit to someone else.  I'm pretty sure that's what happened when it comes to Frackville, PA.  Stopping in Pennsylvania was hard enough considering there's not a whole lot between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, but finding a pet friendly hotel is even harder.  Since we'd been living in a Rodeway Inn all this time, we figured we knew it wouldn't be great, but it would be livable.  We. Were. Dead. Wrong.

This hotel will without a doubt go down in history as the worst hotel we've ever had the pleasure of staying the night in.  As soon as we pulled up we knew it was less than ideal, but just as Colin was saying "if you want to go somewhere else we can..." Lao Tzu was throwing up in his carrier.  He made it through the whole four hours and waited until we were literally pulling in to this gross hotel to throw up everywhere.  At that point we were pretty much exhausted and figured one night wouldn't kill us and decided to stay.

As soon as we parked and got something to eat I made a trip to the local walmart to get some things for the trip.  While there I saw: 2 grown men in camo pajamas (at 7pm), 1 man drink out of a juice carton and put it back, and 1 Walmart that doesn't sell bottled water (what the what?).  Discouraged, I headed back towards the hotel only to pass by a maximum security state penitentiary.  Upon further phone googling I quickly found that not only is Frackville home to this prison I had driven by (that was .2 miles from our hotel), but that there were 3 more within a 6 mile radius from where I was.  Awesome. That definitely explained why the staff didn't ask me for any information (including an ID) when I checked in.  After that I couldn't drive back and unload the car fast enough.  As I did, the guy who lived next to us mentally inventoried everything I was taking out of the car (presumably to decide if we had anything worth breaking in for, which it seems we didn't). 

I will never stay in a random town without a thorough google search again.

Part 3: Toledo, OH

After a pretty successful (and windy) 7 hour drive we finally made it to Toledo, OH!  The La Quinta we're staying in has the most comfortable bed we've slept in in weeks, and the room couldn't be nicer (what a relief!).  The cats are happy, we're happy, and now we're just biding our time until we can get back on the road to head to Madison, WI tomorrow.  We should make it to Poulsbo by next Tuesday, and we can't wait to see our house!  It's been almost 7 months since poor Colin has even see what we've been paying mortgage for all this time.

Cross your fingers that our trip continues to go well, and I'll do my best to update whenever we have internet!!

A weeks worth of updates

I wish I had better news to share, but we're definitely at a standstill here in CT.  Colin has a preliminary appointment with Navy med on May 31st that he's been trying to get moved up to no avail.  So right now we're just hanging out trying to make the most of this time together.  He's been told that even if everything goes perfectly at his appointment, it will probably still be at least a month before his new waver arrives (from wherever it is they come from).  It's discouraging news, but there's nothing we can do so we went exploring instead of pouting!

This week we went hiking at the Gillette Castle State Park in East Haddam, CT.  Of course I spent the majority of the time being completely distracted by the most giant tadpoles and frogs I've ever seen in the wild.  I'm talking Goliath (our frog who was adopted by the Schlotz's when we moved) Pixie frog sized.  I also almost stepped on a giant water snake that was well hidden in the grass and was too fast to get a picture of.  The best part is that I almost stepped on it, but it went after Colin :) 

(click on the images to see them larger - especially the panoramic)

Gillette Castle

The view from the castle

A giant frog in the water.  They were everywhere!

It's tough to see, but there is a log in the middle covered in a bunch of turtles.

Attack of the giant tadpoles!  There were regular sized ones too, but they're so small you can't even see them in this picture!

The pond where all of this awesome stuff lived.

We've also been actively looking into buying a new car.  After testing out the removable roof rack on our drive from NY to CT, there is just no way that it's going to work long term as we hopefully make our way to WA soon.  We've test driven a bunch of different midsized SUVs, and researched a ton, but we still haven't settled on anything.  It'll be sad to see Versa go, but she's just too small for us now.  I think we've narrowed it down to a Honda CR-V, Toyota Rav4, Jeep Liberty, Ford Escape, or Hyundai Santa Fe.  Driving all over Connecticut to visit different dealers has definitely made the time fly by, and has allowed us to see all sorts of cute little towns we never would have known existed.  We even accidentally stumbled upon Yale one day on our way home! 

So that's it for now!  I'll be sure to update as soon as we have more news.  Like I said before, our cell reception is horrible, and we never know when the internet is going to be working, so if you tried to get a hold of us and couldn't, I'm sorry!

Do you have any suggestions of what we should see while were in Connecticut?  Is one SUV better than another?  Leave any insight you may have in the comments!

Sometimes things just don't go as planned

As some of you may already know, our move across the country has taken a little detour.  We are currently living in a no-tell motel in Waterford, CT until some administrative issues get worked out. 

This whole mess started last Monday.  I had woken up early to get ready for the movers on Wednesday, and I got a devastating text from Colin saying “stop packing, we’re not moving.”  Of course I had a panic attack, and called right away.  He couldn’t talk so I had to wait a few hours for him to get back to me.  It turns out that Navy med found a typo in one of his medical wavers, and sent it up for review (yes, as in a spelling error).  It then found it’s way to someone who disagreed with the waver, and felt that his testing was never completed for a heart condition he’s had since birth, but doesn’t affect his work and was corrected through surgery when he was only months old.  This all lead to him being placed on immediate medical hold.

We went back and forth for days about what to do, because it was obviously too late to stop the move all together.  Every day was a different scenario.  I would get a call saying, “You’re moving, but I have to stay” “I can take 10 days of leave to drive you out and then I have to come back.” And finally, “They’re transferring me to Washington to figure this all out.” 

It wasn’t until all of our stuff was packed up and gone that I got the final call letting me know that as of 8am they had changed their minds, and neither of us would be leaving. So with less than a day before we were supposed to be headed out, I quickly canceled all of our hotels, called friends and family, spoke to our move coordinator, ppo rep, and moving truck driver, and frantically began calling hotels around New London to find one that would take us and our three cats for an extended stay.  After getting rejected by a handful of people, this stellar establishment said yes!  And at a great rate no less. 

So here we are.  Living in a hotel where every surface is mysteriously sticky, but we’re together and the cats are moderately happy exhausted.  Colin is working in the admin office while he waits for appointments with navy med (which is sort of like waiting for pigs to fly), and we have no idea what our timeline is.  They told us we could be here 10 days, or we could be here 3 months (their original estimation).  Lets just hope for the former!  

Julius sleeping with Ming passed out in the top left corner

The black exhausted blob that is Lao Tzu

Of course as I have endless amounts of time with nothing to do and spotty at best internet (the guy at the front desk thinks it mysteriously stopped working because it’s humid outside), a million things are running through my head.  We have a mortgage to pay starting in June, I have a job lined up in Washington that’s supposed to start in June, our stuff arrives at our new house on the 31^st, and if we’re not there it’ll be put in storage where we have to schedule delivery two weeks out.  Can I survive 3 months in this crappy motel?  Does this Lt. Commander have the power to completely derail Colin’s career and everything he’s been working for since joining the Navy?  These may all be valid concerns, but the bottom line is that we have no answers, and no options.  We’re here, so we may as well make the best of it!  Keeping with that mindset, I made a top 5 list (a la John Cusack) of all the reason why being in Connecticut isn’t so bad:

1. Great lobster bisk at Smarty’s Restaurant
2. Sarge’s Comics (a giant comic store with awesome Joss Whedon section)
3. NYC is just a mere 2 hours away and I still have $16 on a subway metro card
4. They have Dairy Queen here!
5. I’m not in WA while Colin’s in CT, we’re together.*

(*Of course, the disclaimer is that these are in no particular order, and yes, I’m aware that some of them are a stretch)

Like I said, the internet here pretty much sucks and so does my cell reception, but I’ll do my best to update as we move along in this process and someone does start giving us answers.  Hopefully we’ll be back on course in no time!

Making a cross country move

Since this is something that's been in the forefront of everything I do lately, I figured I'd give some insight into making a cross country move.  This will be our second time driving for a week to get to our new house, and it can definitely be a stressful time.  No matter how much you like each other, a week in a car in the middle of nowhere can bring out the worst in people.  Luckily, arriving at your destination can usually erase all of that tension and replace it with pure excitement!  Here's a list of the top 10 things we've learned, and will definitely be keeping in mind, when planning a cross country move.

1.  Even though you may think you need every little thing, having space in the car is more important.
When we traveled from Corvallis, OR to Charleston, SC we packed the car to the brim (we drive a tiny little Nissan Versa hatchback).  The worst part was that we mostly took with us things we didn't really need.  It was so bad that not only did the cats suffer from lack of room, but the floor space below the passenger seat was so cramped that you couldn't straighten out your legs without putting them on the dashboard.  Not only is this dangerous, but right around day 4 you'll really be kicking yourself that you're so cramped up and sore.  I'm pretty sure this is the number one thing Colin remembers about our first big move.

2.  Your stuff is going to get there well after you do, not matter what they tell you.
We've never had a move where our stuff was available before we were ready to receive it.  Usually, it actually gets there at least a week later.  This means you're pretty much camping out, or staying at a hotel until it arrives.  The best advice I can give you is to make peace with this, and just relinquish control (something that's tough for me, too).  There is nothing you can do to make it go faster, so prepare for it ahead of time, and try to make it a fun experience!

3. Only pack what you need in the car.
One thing we definitely learned the hard way was what is worth taking.  The first time we moved we took all of this entertainment (ds, books, magazines, games, computers, movies, etc.), when we should have taken things with more practical uses.  Here's a quick list of what we will never move without (provided you choose to stay in an empty house, and not at a hotel):

• Towels - This sounds silly, but trust me.
• Toilet paper - This sounds even sillier, but once you get to the new house and realize you don't have any, it wont seem so silly anymore.
• Shower curtain - Also super important.
• Folding chairs - The worst thing about being in an empty house, is not having anywhere to sit.
• Air mattress, pillows, and sleeping bags - These are usually easily packed and take up hardly any space.  Your backs will thank you.
• Reusable dishes and silverware - A much more green friendly alternative to buying paper everything.  It also helps keep the eating out to a minimum.  We have a great set of picnic ware for four people that we bring with us that we received as a wedding gift (Thanks Megan!).
• Garbage bags - There are so many uses for garbage bags, and chances are you'll find many of them before your stuff arrives.
• Multipurpose cleaning products - If you're anything like me, even if your new home was cleaned before you get there, you'll probably still want to do some disinfecting.  I usually bring disinfectant wipes, a handheld vacuum, and maybe something like Pine Sol.

4. Use the time without your stuff to explore your new town!
Since there's no real reason to be stuck at home, go out and explore!  Find the grocery and some fun restaurants!  Time your drive to your new job.  Meet your new neighbors.  All these things will keep you plenty busy, and the days will just fly by until your household goods shipment gets there.  Not to mention this time off is something that should be treasured.  In the navy, Colin gets 10 days free leave to move, so treat it like a vacation!


5.  If you're traveling with pets, find hotels that don't mind your little critters.
Colin's number one complaint about moving is sneaking the cats into sub par hotel rooms.  Taking each one by one with a blanket over the carrier, just crossing your fingers that no one meows (and lets face it, at least one always does), is stressful to say the least.  A lot of hotels charge ridiculous amounts for pets, so it's worth it to hunt for the ones that don't.  As of this year, La Quinta is a 100% pet friendly hotel chain with no additional charges.  In addition to this, they are also updating all of their hotels.  We're staying at a few during this move, so I'll let you know how it goes.  Other hotel chains we've tried are Sandman Inn and Suites (definitely recommended) and Roadway Inn (Not recommended).  Chains we haven't tried are Red Roof Inn, Best Western, and Motel 6.  As always, check with individual hotels before you make your reservation just to be sure.

6.  Keep your days to a minimum of 4 hours per driver.
Sometimes it can't be helped if you're set on a destination, but for safety, and enjoyability, it's important to keep the hours down.  Especially if you're traveling for multiple days.  Colin and I like to keep it to 8 hours and have a great system - he wakes me up and rolls me out of bed around 6, drives the first four hours, and then by the time lunch rolls around and I'm awake it's time for my turn!

7.  Pick destinations that interest you, or where you have family to visit.
Not only is this a great way to catch up with spread out family members, but it's also a great way to explore our wonderful country!  Not to mention, if you have something to look forward too, then the days will go by much quicker than if you're just trying to make it to a sleazy hotel in Kansas City (trust me).

8.  Find some books on tape or something fun to listen to, for when you exhaust your ipod in the middle if Montana or can't stand to hear one more of your spouses renditions of Rent.
I say this with caution, because it's actually really tough for me to drive and listen to a book on tape.  To say that I'm easily distracted is an understatement, and the voices most book on tape readers use are dangerously soothing.  However, I do like listening while Colin drives, and since he loves to listen and drive it works out great.  Instead of putting him to sleep the way it does me, it actually helps him stay awake.

9.  Think of some fun car games to play when the freeways get long and never ending.
I know this sounds sort of silly, but trust me it's worth it.  And I'm not talking about for the kids.  America is great, but there are definitely boring stretches of highway out there.  The one we loved to play as we drove across country was the licence plate game.  We even played it over walkie talkies on our way to New York.  If you're unfamiliar, here are the rules:  Keep your eyes open for license plates that differ from the state that you're in.  Once you find one, write it down!  The goal is to get all 50 before reaching your destination.  We've played this game on both of our big moves, and haven't gotten them all yet!  It's surprisingly fun, and you can up the ante by keeping track of who finds the most. 


10.  Remember, this isn't forever.
This is definitely the most important thing I can say.  When the drive seems never ending, when you can't imagine eating out one more night, and when it feels like your stuff must have gotten lost in the middle of nowhere, remember that things will return to normal.  Two to three weeks is nothing in the big scheme of things, so stick it out and try and make the best of this turbulent time!


Do you have any moving tips to share?  Something you wished you would have known before a big trip? Put it in the comments!

Feeding the movers

With the move approaching fast (I know I have been going on and on about it, but I'm just so excited!), I've been thinking a lot about what to feed these guys.  They are going to be here for three days (2 to pack, 1 to load), so just the regular old donuts and pizza isn't going to cut it three days in a row.  The only other time we've had the packing spread out like this was when we moved from Corvallis to Charleston, and they were out before lunch on the second day.  When we moved to NY, our packers stayed for over 12 hours, so we fed them donuts, pizza, and five guys (there were only 3 of them). 

The thing that makes this so tough is that I will be here alone, and don't really like the idea of leaving them in the house while I run to get food.  Whatever I feed them has to be something I can order in, or have prepared the night before. 

This is where you come in - I need suggestions!  What meals do you have ready for movers when pizza just isn't going to cut it? If you were a mover, what (inexpensive) food would you like to receive on the job?  Help!

(Image courtesy of thelonestarmover.com)